Transplant surgeon vs trauma surgeon

The differences between transplant surgeons and trauma surgeons can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a transplant surgeon and a trauma surgeon. Additionally, a trauma surgeon has an average salary of $406,184, which is higher than the $405,796 average annual salary of a transplant surgeon.

The top three skills for a transplant surgeon include private practice, and . The most important skills for a trauma surgeon are critical care, patient care, and trauma surgery.

Transplant surgeon vs trauma surgeon overview

	Transplant Surgeon	Trauma Surgeon
Yearly salary	$405,796	$406,184
Hourly rate	$195.09	$195.28
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	3,688	3,750
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 25%
Average age	49	49
Years of experience	6	6

What does a transplant surgeon do?

A transplant surgeon is a medical expert who specializes in organ transplants, such as heart, kidney, liver, and lung. Besides performing life-saving surgeries, they also study the patients' and donors' medical histories, conduct extensive research and analysis to ensure the compatibility of patients and donors, coordinate with fellow experts from planning to execution, and provide care to patients before and after surgeries. Moreover, a transplant surgeon may also share their expertise and participate in research studies.

What does a trauma surgeon do?

Trauma surgeons attend to ER patients who fall into certain categories of medical conditions such as low blood pressure following a car accident or if emergency surgery is needed to prevent permanent damage or save their lives. They will assume responsibility for the patient's care if hospital admission is needed as well as follow-up care. Other duties of a trauma surgeon include evaluating, diagnosing, and stabilizing a patient with traumatic physical injury, treating patients with cuts, internal injuries, and bone fractures, and evaluating which injuries need medical intervention first.

Transplant surgeon vs trauma surgeon salary

Transplant surgeons and trauma surgeons have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Transplant Surgeon	Trauma Surgeon
Average salary	$405,796	$406,184
Salary range	Between $204,000 And $803,000	Between $204,000 And $806,000
Highest paying City	Minneapolis, MN	Grand Forks, ND
Highest paying state	Alaska	Minnesota
Best paying company	University of Maryland, Baltimore	Trinity Health
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between transplant surgeon and trauma surgeon education

There are a few differences between a transplant surgeon and a trauma surgeon in terms of educational background:

	Transplant Surgeon	Trauma Surgeon
Most common degree	Doctoral Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 25%
Most common major	Medicine	Medicine
Most common college	Northwestern University	Duke University

Transplant surgeon vs trauma surgeon demographics

Here are the differences between transplant surgeons' and trauma surgeons' demographics:

	Transplant Surgeon	Trauma Surgeon
Average age	49	49
Gender ratio	Male, 81.8% Female, 18.2%	Male, 55.6% Female, 44.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%	Black or African American, 1.8% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 5.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 76.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between transplant surgeon and trauma surgeon duties and responsibilities

Transplant surgeon example responsibilities.

Coordinate with patients and medical staff at civilian and military treatment facilities to schedule medical appointments and retrieve medical documentation.
Handle confidential and sensitive information with accuracy and according to HIPAA policies.

Trauma surgeon example responsibilities.

Manage all incoming medical records requests (ensuring office is within HIPPA guidelines).
Coordinate with patients and medical staff at civilian and military treatment facilities to schedule medical appointments and retrieve medical documentation.
Observe fracture plating, skin grafting, wind cleaning, amputation, and other Orthopaedic surgeries.

Transplant surgeon vs trauma surgeon skills

Common transplant surgeon skills

Private Practice, 100%

Common trauma surgeon skills

Critical Care, 44%
Patient Care, 29%
Trauma Surgery, 20%
Emergency Medicine, 3%
Private Practice, 2%
IV, 1%

Transplant Surgeon vs. similar jobs

Transplant Surgeon related careers

Transplant Surgeon related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Healthcare Practitioner and Technical Industry
Transplant Surgeon
Transplant Surgeon vs Trauma Surgeon

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs